The worker accommodation challenge for the 700km Transgrid project

A massive Transgrid workforce has taken up residence in camps set up in remote communities

Amid Transgrid’s ambitious 700km EnergyConnect project that spans from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales to Robertson in South Australia and Red Cliffs in Victoria, the accommodation for the massive workforce poses a significant challenge.

Recognising the importance of minimising undue pressure on remote communities, Transgrid and their partner Secure Energy have taken proactive measures by establishing six worker accommodation camps.

Transgrid Executive General Manager of Major Projects, Gordon Taylor, said the camps are a direct response to housing availability concerns.

“These projects require a very large workforce which is why we put a strategy in place to minimise the impact on housing by not taking limited accommodation out of the local market and instead establishing these specially designed camps for EnergyConnect.”

To handle the influx of workers from different corners of the country, including administration staff, engineers, riggers and doggers, the first camp was strategically built in Buronga, near Mildura, capable of housing up to 340 workers at a time.

Transgrid have built a series of camps for employees working on the national electricity grid in rural area. Picture: Toby Zerna

Jim Timlin, the Camp Manager at SecureEnergy, emphasised the importance of considering the changing dynamics of the workforce. With a considerable number of women now contributing to the remote communities, the camp’s design has evolved to provide individual rooms with ensuite facilities, replacing communal bathrooms. The camp also features a range of modern amenities, including fully-equipped kitchens and dining facilities, gyms, Wi-Fi, and offices.

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Mr Timlin noted that the presence of a female workforce has had a positive impact on the overall working environment. The Buronga camp has seen approximately 70 to 80 female workers on-site.

“I’ve been doing camps for a long time and this is the highest concentration of females I’ve seen. I think having them in the workforce creates a better working environment. ”

Joel Astle 26, a Dogman and Mia Liu 25, a civil engineer, are two employees with Transgrid’s EnergyConnect project who are living at the Buronga camp site near Mildura. Picture: Toby Zerna

Mia Liu, 25, a civil engineer who is working as a site manager at Buronga, said life at the camp has pleasantly surprised her.

“I worked for the company as a civil engineer but wanted to do construction, so I thought I would give this a go,” she said.

Working 10 days on and four days off, Ms Liu, who had never heard of Buronga prior to being redeployed there said the country has been good for her: “I think I am a lot calmer here.”

“It’s pretty good here, it’s much better than what I thought. I lived in Sydney, city life, office life … I thought I would be uncomfortable here, but it’s so much better than what I thought. You have your own bathroom, your own bed, your own fridge and airconditioning. And the food is great!”

Mia Liu: “The food is great.” Transgrid have built a series of camps for employees working on the national electricity grid in rural areas, so that their numbers don’t impact on local rental and hotel accommodation and causing a further lack of supply for local residents. Picture: Toby Zerna

Joel Astle, 26, a dogman, said that being so close to Mildura is another positive.

“There is definitely a benefit to being so close to town, but without impacting the town. We get the availability to go eat and have a drink there if we need to and still get to come home.”

As the 30-hectare purpose-built Buronga camp gears up for operations until June 2025, the question of its future beyond that remains open.

“They may hold onto it for another project, but the ultimate would be that they will be returned to the land owner. The area will be rehabilitated and be in similar or better condition to what was there. Water resources and water storage will be left to the land owner,” said Mr Timlin.